Nintendo’s DSi online storefront set to close in 2017

Nintendo is sunsetting its online storefront for Nintendo DSi consoles, rendering the portables unable to download new games after the service’s planned shutdown in 2017.

According to a NeoGAF translation of Nintendo’s statement, DSi owners will no longer be able to add points to their online accounts after September 30, 2016, and the Nintendo DSi shop will cease operation on March 31, 2017.

Released in North America in 2009, the Nintendo DSi and DSi XL were among the first portable Nintendo consoles to offer downloadable games for purchase via an online storefront. The platform was quickly overshadowed by the 2012 launch of the Nintendo 3DS, but its online functionality remained active in the years afterward.

The Nintendo DSi introduced a slate of new features compared to its predecessor, the Nintendo DS, including many that were later implemented in Nintendo’s 3DS hardware. In addition to offering downloadable “DSiWare” titles, the platform featured two digital cameras that saw infrequent use within a handful of DSi-exclusive releases. The Nintendo 3DS would later boast stereoscopic photography as a standard hardware feature.

While Nintendo DSi portables will be unable to download games in the future, nearly all DSiWare titles are compatible with 3DS hardware, and the majority of releases for the platform will still be available for purchase from the Nintendo 3DS eShop after the DSi storefront’s shutdown.

DSiWare games will still be playable after Nintendo ends its support for the DSi shop, and players can transfer their purchases to Nintendo 3DS portables via the platform’s system transfer feature. Transferred games will be registered to associated 3DS eShop accounts, and players will be able to redownload their purchases at a later date.

Nintendo announced that it plans to issue refunds to players in Japan who have yet to redeem purchased codes for DSi Points. Details regarding the refund process are not yet known, and Nintendo has not announced plans to offer refunds for players in North America or Europe.